


Her Entire World

by Maybelifeistooshort



Series: I Just Want Them To Be Happy. [3]
Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: Ethan is good, F/M, Hannah is a good sister, Oneshot, Pregnancy, Tom is a good dad, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23358106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maybelifeistooshort/pseuds/Maybelifeistooshort
Summary: When Lex finds out she's pregnant, she doesn't know what to do. She calls Tom, and they figure it out.
Relationships: Becky Barnes & Lex Foster, Lex Foster & Ethan Green, Lex Foster & Hannah Foster, Lex Foster & Tom Houston, Lex Foster/Ethan Green, lex & hannah
Series: I Just Want Them To Be Happy. [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677469
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Her Entire World

When Lex thought that she might be pregnant, she knew that the right decision would be to go to Becky. It was easy for that to be her first thought. The older woman was a nurse, she loved kids, she knew damn well how to keep a secret, and she had been more of a mother to Lex than her actual mom had ever been. 

Lex went to Tom. She had been staring at her phone for an hour, her finger just hovering above Becky’s number. She had made up an excuse about needing to grab something other than grilled cheese, seemingly the only thing that Hannah wanted to eat that week. Ethan had asked for her to grab him something from the chinese place down the street. 

She couldn’t bring herself to call the nurse. It had been a week since she had seen her, and the two of them had spent some time alone with mugs of coffee when no one else was up. It was painfully silent without Tom there to mediate. 

She called Tom when her phone was at twenty percent. He picked up on the second ring. “Hey Lex, what’s up?” He asked. 

“Do you think that...you could come down here anytime soon?” She asked. Her voice broke slightly. 

“Of course. How’s this weekend?” His reply was instant. Tom always had a way of being there for Lex since Black Friday ended. She had hauled ass with Ethan and Hannah, thank god, but the night had ended with Tom and Becky in the hospital and on the news. 

They didn’t make it to California, but they made it out of Hatchet Field. That was what really mattered. They made it out of Hatchet Field and away from their parents. 

When Lex reached out, Tom was immediately apologizing about that night. He talked about not being himself and how he wished he had more time to talk about why he had left Hatchet Field High. She agreed, and two years later he had become something of a father figure. 

“This weekend works great. I’ll see you then. I’m kind of...with a class right now, but is there anything else you need?”

“Um, no, that was it. Thank you so much Mr. Huston.” Lex responded, getting her bag ready to actually go into the Walmart she was parked in front of. She waited until Tom hung up to get out of the car. 

She walked inside and strolled around. She picked up a few things that she could remember on the grocery list so that when she got home she wouldn’t be questioned for why it took an hour and a half to get Chinese food. 

She walked down until she saw the aisle she was looking for. She walked down, and surrounded by the frosting flavored lube and condoms were the pregnancy tests. There were quite a few to choose from, prices ranging from less than a dollar to almost thirty. 

She picked up one of each. Lex thought about how in all of the movies they took more than one. Since she had no other reference point, she would just have to go off of all of the Lifetime movies that Ethan claimed that he watched ‘ironically’.

She used the self-checkout, not wanting to make awkward eye contact with the girl the same age as her who was checking people out. The girl was wearing a Clivesdale University shirt. While Lex had gotten her GED, she hadn’t even looked at colleges. She didn’t have the choice. 

She grabbed food for herself and Ethan on the way home. She got him the shitty fried rice with chicken that he loved, and she got herself some steak fried rice that she’d been craving as of late. She also ordered pork dumplings for the two of them. 

On her drive home she pulled herself together. She carried all of the bags and the food inside of their tiny apartment. Ethan was drawing in his sketchbook while Hannah was looking over his shoulder. They both looked over her and the bags she had. 

Hannah came over silently and took the food to set up. “I’m guessing it’s a good day?” Lex asked her younger sister.

“A great day.” Hannah corrected as she got out all of the food. She then sat back down in front of her own half eaten grilled cheese that Ethan apparently made her while Lex was out. 

Ethan started helping her with the grocery bags. He put away the milk and eggs she had gotten, and Lex snatched the bag filled with pregnancy tests. He looked at her quizzically. 

“Tampons.” Lex supplied weakly. Ethan chuckled and grabbed her hand. 

“While I appreciate your concern, there is nothing to be concerned about. I’m a feminist babe.” He smiled. His tone was more than teasing. 

Lex kissed his cheek, “While I love your stance, I’m going to go and put these away.” She held up the bag and walked to the bathroom. 

She hid the boxes behind the actual boxes of tampons and pads. She stood up and looked into the mirror. She didn’t look nineteen. She looked tired. She looked more like an adult than her mom ever did. 

Lex let out a breath and walked out of the bathroom. She sat down at the table with Ethan and Hannah and took her chopsticks. When Ethan opened his container of food, Lex felt her stomach lurch. 

She had to hurry to the bathroom to make sure she didn’t blow chunks all over the carpet. Ethan had rushed after her and held her hair back. When she was finished she wiped her mouth. “Hey babe...do you think we could just split my steak?” She asked. He agreed without asking any questions. 

The rest of the day went on without incident. Ethan and her watched cheesy horror movies until he had to go into the late shift that he worked at a bar, and then Lex spent the rest of her day with Hannah. 

She tucked Hannah into her own bed and read until the eleven year old fell asleep. She kissed her head and left the room. 

Tom was knocking on their door on Saturday morning. Ethan had answered the door in only his galaxy cat sweatpants. Tom just awkwardly patted him on the back as greeting, and after Ethan changed, they were all sitting down for breakfast together. 

“I have work today, so I will see you all when I get home.” Ethan told them when they finished the breakfast. He kissed Lex, then kissed Hannah’s head, and left. He was working at an auto body shop nearby, and he loved it. 

Hannah was soon being dropped off at her Saturday art class that she loved. There were other special needs kids in the class, and she was able to be in a safe environment. Hannah loved it, and Lex loved that they had the money to cover the class. 

Tom looked at her when she got back, sitting on the couch with a beer he had found in the fridge. He didn’t seem mad, so she ignored it. Lex sat next to him and put her hands awkwardly in her lap. “So,” Tom started, “Why did you call me in the middle of a Friday?”

Lex thought about all of the ways she could subtly tell him what was on her mind. All of the ways that she could easily tell him without it being a shock. “I think I’m pregnant.” She told him, ignoring all of those ways. 

Tom’s eyes bugged out of his head, but Lex gave him credit for how quickly he put himself back together. “Well...um, Lex, what makes you think that?” He asked. 

She told him about her symptoms. How the boxes of tampons in the bathroom had gone untouched for two months now, how Ethan’s crappy food taste now made her sick, how she had gone up a few sizes, and how she was sore all of the time. 

“So, you’ve shown a lot of signs.” Tom told her carefully, “Have you taken any tests?” He asked. 

“No, I’ve been too scared. That’s, um, why I called. I want you there when I get the results. If it’s a no, I want us to go out for sushi.” Lex told him. 

Tom’s eyebrows rose “You hate sushi.” 

“Because it’s gross! It’s raw fish with seaweed. Who would want that?” She asked. “But the sushi represents freedom from everything that comes with being pregnant and having a baby. All of the websites say that you can’t eat sushi if you’re pregnant. So I want that.”

Tom nodded. “Okay. Sushi if it’s a negative. What if it’s not?” He asked carefully. 

“Then I want to talk about what I’m going to do. I know you won’t judge me if I choose to…”

Tom put a hand on her back and rubbed soothing circles. “Of course I won’t Lexi. And I’ll be there for you, no matter what.”

“Thank you.” She told him, looking down at her hands. 

“If I can… Why aren’t you telling Ethan?” He asked. 

“I know that he would respect my decision.” Lex started, “But… I also know that he wants kids. And maybe this will be his kid, and we’ll have it and it’ll be amazing. But maybe it won’t. And, I don’t want to put him through that.”

“Hon, it’s your choice. Completely.” He told her, holding her close. 

“I know it is. And I know that if Ethan finds out, it’s not his choice. And if it comes to it, he’ll support me. But I still don’t want to risk hurting him.” Lex explained. 

Tom nodded. 

That’s how the two of them found themselves sitting in the kitchen waiting for four tests. Lex got herself one of Hannah’s juice boxes and sat on a stool. The clock ticked as the timers on the tests counted down to results. 

When the timer on Lex’s phone went down, she walked back to where the tests were turned over. Tom rubbed her back, “Are...you ready?” He asked. 

“No...but there’s not anything else we can do.” She answered, turning them over. All four of them were positive. 

“Okay. So, what do you want to do now. What are you feeling? What do you want to do? First thoughts?” Tom asked. 

“I...don’t know. I still don’t know what I want to do.” Lex answered honestly. 

“Well do you want to talk about it?” Tom asked, carefully taking Lex’s hand. 

“Yes.” She took a deep breath before she started. “I think that I’m supposed to feel all of these things, good or bad. In all of the movies, everyone is either really happy or really upset. They all know what they want to do. But, I don’t. I mean, of course I want kids with Ethan. Eventually. We’ve talked about it. We said after we get married. And we are in a spot where we...could handle a baby.” She took a deep breath. “But I’m scared. I’m nineteen. My mom was my age and she sucked ass at being a mom.”

Tom took her hand, “Well, first off, you are nothing like your mother.” He promised her. “I see the way you are with Hannah, have always been with her. And if you decide to keep the baby, then you will be a great mother. And you wouldn’t be alone. Becky and I would be right there for you through every second of it.”

“Thank you…” Lex mumbled, hugging him. 

“And,” Tom continued, “I want to tell you something. About that other thing…” He took a deep breath. “Jane and I didn’t want kids. At least, not right away. Ten years, that was our rule. And within one year, after a doctor’s appointment, she came home with the news. Even though we were married and happy, our first reaction wasn’t what everyone thinks it was. We didn’t know what to do. We had a conversation like the one you and I are having now. Then, Jane decided that we should try it. Pregnancy was hell. Labor was hell. Birth was hell. But then I saw Tim, and I had never loved something more.” He told her. “And if your only negatives are that your mom sucked, and that you’re acting like a human, then I think that your mind is already made up.”

She nodded. “I think...I’m going to keep it.” She smiled. Tom nodded and hugged her. 

Lex had help setting up a doctor’s appointment, and she drove home finding out that she had most likely waited too long to set up an appointment. She was three months pregnant. She was also apparently extraordinarily lucky because of how healthy her baby was. When Tom picks her up, he ignores the tear tracks on her cheeks and fawns over the picture of the ultrasound. 

“So, have you told Ethan yet?” he asked as they climbed into the car. She had asked for him to drive her. They started the longer drive home. Tom had treated her to the nicest and highest rated OBGYN in Clivesdale. 

“Not yet. I’m working on it, though I think he’s starting to suspect something. I’ve never gone this long without smoking.” She admitted. 

“You’ve known for a week.” He pointed out. 

“I stopped when I missed my period the first time.” She admitted, rolling her window down. Tom nodded and rubbed her back. 

They arrived back at her apartment and she smiled, “Thank you again for all of this.” She smiled. She kissed Tom’s cheek before going up the stairs. 

When she opened the door she was greeted with the sign of Hannah helping Ethan cook. They had broadened her pallet to accept tomato soup and cookies with her grilled cheese. When the two of them heard the door close, they both looked over. Hannah smiled and Ethan walked over, kissing her. 

“Well hello to you too.” She smiled, looking at him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. 

Soon they were all at the table, eating grilled cheese with tomatoes and mushrooms inside with their tomato soup. Hannah was obviously enjoying her’s. She smiled as she bit into Ethan’s amazing cooking. 

When Hannah finished, Lex made sure that she brushed her teeth and tucked her in. She kissed Hannah’s head when she fell asleep and made sure that she was holding her stuffed spider close before she left the bedroom. 

When she walked back out, Ethan was waiting for her. He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled them in his hair. He picked her up and pulled her to the bedroom. 

An hour later, Lex looked at Ethan. Her fingers were running through his short and curly brown hair. “Well that was really nice.” She mumbled. 

“It was.” Ethan agreed. He held her close, kissing her head. 

“Lots of things for me tonight…” She smiled, looking up at him. 

“I like doing those things too.” Ethan told her, giving her a smug smile. “But tonight, I did do those things to put you in a good mood.” 

“Well it worked. What can I do for you?” She asked, carefully and lazily intertwining their fingers. 

“I know that we said we’d wait until we got married to talk about it again...but I was cooking with Hannah today, and it just made me think about how amazing of a dad I would be.” He wasn’t joking this time. “I know you’re not sure, but I am. I want to have a kid with you. Hell, I want to have a million.”

Lex laughed. “Well, you’re fucking amazing at timing.” She mumbled. She smiled when she looked up at Ethan’s confused face. “Because I was going to tell you tomorrow that...I’m pregnant.”

Ethan’s face lit up, and he smiled. They talked and planned until Lex dozed off, and Ethan held her close until he fell asleep too. 

Telling Hannah was harder. They were sitting and working on Hannah’s math homework when it came up. Lex was figuring out how to solve some of the division problems when Hannah looked at her. “Are you and E going to have a baby?” She asked. 

Lex forgot how to breathe for a second. She had thought that she had hidden everything fairly well for the month she had known. When she remembered how to speak, she looked at her little sister, “What do you mean Banana?”

“Webby says that one’s to be added, and that it’s good.” She smiled.

“Oh, well, yes then Banana. Ethan and I are going to have a little baby.” Lex told her little sister carefully. 

Hanah lit up and hugged her, “I knew it!” and that was that. 

Lex found out that when people see a five month old pregnant woman, they sometimes feel that it’s appropriate to walk over, touch her stomach, and call her huge. Ethan had to ward off those people more than a dozen times before the month was even over. 

Becky and Tom were throwing a party, and at that party Ethan and Lex were going to walk in. Lex had on a maternity shirt with a nice little pun on it. She hadn’t exactly told anyone outside of her family other than Tom. She expected that he had done so himself. 

When people at the party stared at her when they noticed her, she realized that he had not done so. Some people looked at her with pity, some with disgust, and others with plain shock. She held onto Ethan’s hand with an iron grip as she greeted Becky, who was staring at her belly. 

“We thought that Tom had told you…” Lex tried to explain. 

“He didn’t, but this is amazing! Congratulations, you two!” Becky hugged Lex and she smiled, leaning into it. 

“Thank you.” Lex mumbled. She pulled away and looked around at all of the other people. There were two people talking in the corner. “Who are they?”

Becky perked up, “They are Emma and Paul. Tom’s sister in law and her fiance. They’re announcing it tonight. It’s why we threw this party.” She spoke. 

Becky nodded and Lex sat down on a stool and took a cookie on a plate that was left out. She kept eating as people talked. 

Later, Lex was walking around when she heard crying from the bathroom. She knocked lightly on the door and then opened it to see Becky Barns trying to hide that she was crying. “Um, Becky?”

The woman straightened up and turned around, “Oh! Lex!” She wiped her eyes. 

“Is… is everything okay?” Lex asked. When Becky tried to nod, Lex interrupted. “It was more of a polite question Miss Barns. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’m here…”

“You are.” Becky said. Her voice was far off. 

“What does that mean?” Lex asked, her voice was defensive. 

“I love you. Ever since you came into my life through Tom, you’ve just been like, part of the family. But, I can’t get pregnant. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to be a mom. It was everything to me. When Tom and I were in high school, we even came up with names for our future kids. Max for a boy and Jenna for a girl. And then after one appointment...I found out it would never happen. And I have a son now, and you and Hannah are like daughters to me. But...when I saw that you’re so...you know. A lot of those old feelings came back.” Becky explained. Lex held her hand. 

“Wow. I’m real sorry that you had to go through all of that Miss Barns. I had no idea…” Lex mumbled. 

“No, sweetie, there is nothing to be sorry about. None of this is your fault.” Becky held her hand. “Now, tell me about the names you’re thinking of.”

Lex smiled and stayed with Becky for the rest of the party. 

Four months later, Lex was positive that she had everything planned out. The bag was packed for the hospital and when the time came, Lex would go on every drug that doctors thought was medically safe. And as the forty week mark approached, she was sure everything would be okay and go according to plan. 

So sure, that she didn’t think twice when Ethan and her booked a last holiday before the baby was due. At a nice cabin hours away from anything else. Tom had paid for it as a special treat, and Hannah would be staying with them for the duration of the trip. 

The drive down was amazing. It was lightly snowing, and they were playing their favorite music with songs by Ethan’s band. 

The cabin was big and beautiful. Three days went by before anything of note happened. They had called Hannah on Thanksgiving. They got to show her how the four inches of snow looked outside of the city, and she told them to get home soon. 

The next day Lex went into labor. They didn’t realize that it was labor for the first few hours, thinking it was nerves and practice contractions. When those happened every four minutes and her water broke, they hauled ass. 

Most of the roads were closed and the people who were driving didn’t know what the sound of a car horn meant. Lex was in the passenger side for the six hours it took to get to the hospital. She was in the passenger side of his shitty beat up truck screaming and groaning for six hours. 

She damn near delivered the baby in the truck. She was lucky that they had gotten her into the delivery room. Later, she would hear lectures from her doctor, Becky, Tom, Paul, Emma, and any adult for how they handled anything that week. 

It was the most pain Lex had ever been in. In that moment, she couldn’t imagine that anything in the world could be worth all of that pain. And then their son was born. 

When she held him, her heart melted. He was so tiny, even though everyone else talked about how big he was. She started crying when she saw Ethan’s face when he looked at their son. 

A few hours later, everyone was at the hospital. Tom had kissed her head and called her kiddo, Becky had cried and just looked at the baby, and Hannah held him. And she whispered how much she loved him. 

They named him Max. When Becky and Tom heard, they couldn’t stop smiling. Lex smiled up at her old shop teacher “His middle name is Tom. After his godfather.” She told him. He cried this time. 

Lex couldn’t be happier.


End file.
